Carteret Council Slashes School Budget To Save Taxpayer Money

CARTERET – The Borough Council ordered a $1.65 million reduction in the rejected 2009-2010 school budget last week. The council’s plan would save the average taxpayer nearly $200 from the school board’s proposed budget and $115 from what they paid this year, Mayor Daniel Reiman said.

Reiman said the defeated proposed school budget totaled $57,394,624, which called for a general tax levy of $23,840,278. The general fund tax levy will now be set at $22,190,278.

“We have enacted cuts without reducing any instructional positions or programs,” Reiman said. “We not only eliminated the increase, we cut into the budget,” he added. “We actually reduced taxes. This takes into account the economic times facing taxpayers and homeowners.”

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Carteret Woman Convicted In Death Of Rahway Man

NEW BRUNSWICK – A Carteret woman was convicted of aggravated manslaughter last week in the 2006 killing of a Rahway man.

After three days of deliberations, the jury found Janean Owens, 23, guilty of manslaughter, conspiracy to commit theft, theft and several weapons charges. The acquitted her on charges of murder, felony murder and robbery.

Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz set June 22 as the tentative sentencing date, when Owens could receive more than 30 years in state prison.

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Court Decision Invalidates Local Sex Offender Restrictions

STATE – Carteret and Sayreville are among 120 New Jersey municipalities that had ordinances restricting where sex offenders could live struck down last week by a state Supreme Court decision.

The high court ruled 6-0 that municipalities are prohibited from banning sex offenders from living next to places where children gather, such as schools or parks. The case involved laws passed by Cherry Hill and Galloway townships. The Carteret and Sayreville ordinances, adopted in 2005, are similar to those invalidated by the court.

The Supreme Court’s decision affirmed a 2008 decision by the state’s Appellate Division that stressed the need to make policies regarding convicted sex offenders more uniform, precluding the “coexistence of municipal regulation.”

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Kinder Morgan Donates Foam Fire Truck To Carteret Fire Department

CARTERET—Mayor Dan Reiman was joined today by representatives from Kinder Morgan for a ceremony in which a refurbished foam fire truck was formally presented to the Carteret Fire Department. The emergency service vehicle, valued at approximately $175,000, has been offered through the Kinder Morgan Foundation, which provides funds to local non-profit organizations to improve public resources and programs.

The truck, according to Carteret Fire Chief Brian O’Connor, is equipped specifically for the handling of chemical related emergencies, and has already been used twice this year.

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Carteret Breaks Ground For Health & Wellness Center

CARTERET—Mayor Dan Reiman and the Borough Council were joined on April 21 by hundreds of local residents for a groundbreaking ceremony making way for Carteret’s highly-anticipated “Health and Wellness Center.”

The project, first announced in 2007, will establish a 36,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art fitness facility, housing a range of resources for health and recreation, along with a number of social amenities. This will be the only such facility in the borough, and the first of its kind in the town’s history.

To date, approximately $11.1 million has been raised for the fitness center through various grants, private endowments, and Developer Impact fees generated by local businesses and litigation settlements. Additional funding is being actively sought from regional businesses and private donors, according to Reiman. Total cost for the facility has been estimated at $12-14 million, which the mayor and Redevelopment Agency expect to have earmarked by the project’s completion in 2010.

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Middlesex Communities Receive Funding For Shared Communications Study

MIDDLESEX COUNTY – Woodbridge Township Mayor John E. McCormac, South Amboy Mayor John T. O’Leary, Carteret Mayor Daniel J. Reiman, and Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz, announced Monday that the four Middlesex County communities have received a $22,734 grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to perform a radio communications engineering feasibility study for a shared emergency communications system.  

The joint study will determine the best way to link a new state-of-the-art radio and emergency communications system currently being installed by Woodbridge Township with police and emergency responders from Woodbridge and the three neighboring municipalities of South Amboy, Carteret and Perth Amboy.

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Despite Recession, Voters Pass Majority Of School Budgets

STATE – Despite the recession and a growing movement against increased taxes, voters passed a majority of the school budgets in Middlesex and Union counties on Tuesday.

Voters approved school budgets in 16 of 21 Union County school districts, though Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden and Plainfield voters rejected their districts’ spending plans. Eighteen of 24 school budgets passed in Middlesex County; budgets failed in Edison, Carteret, Sayreville, Monroe, Perth Amboy and Helmetta.

While a majority of South Amboy voters agreed to a $42,000 plan to restore middle school sports programs that were eliminated last year, the second question did not receive the sixty percent of the votes needed to pass .

The budgets that failed will now be reviewed by municipal officials, who will decide whether to make cuts. School boards may then accept the cuts or appeal to the state commissioner of education.

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School Elections Today

STATE – On Tuesday, more than 550 of the state’s 603 school districts will hold elections where voters express approval or dissent on proposed budgets for the 2009-10 school year and fill about 1,500 school board seats, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Polls are required to be open on April 21 between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. but most offer voting hours from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Check with your district for specific hours and polling places.

Locally, the following candidates are running for school board seats:

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After School Program Offers Additional Learning Opportunities For Carteret Kids

By Vanessa Mironov

CARTERET—During times of belt-tightening budgets among many school districts, the students of Carteret Middle School are fortunate to be offered an extraordinary after-school program free of charge.  

Now in its second year at the middle school, the Carteret Arts and Sports Academy (CASA) proves to be a successful and unique program for students. The Arts and Education Center, in partnership with the Carteret Public Schools, has created CASA using the awarded federal funds from the 21st Century Community Learning Grant. Through the grant, funds will be available for five years allowing CASA to offer academic, artistic, athletic and cultural enrichment opportunities for students and their families.  

For about three hours everyday after school, approximately 200 students receive high quality supplemental services in reading and mathematics.  Under the direction of Tamira Chapman, CASA director, activities are planned in the areas of nutrition, music, art and technology. Students are given the opportunity to engage in the activity of their choice. Character education is integrated into all aspects of the program as well. To further extend learning, field trips are planned to such venues as museums and Broadway theaters. Chapman commented, “CASA is a wonderful opportunity to commit to new academic challenges while exploring the arts, sports and other extra-curricular activities.” 

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Borough Receives Grant For “Green” Health Center

CARTERET—The borough will receive $100,000 towards construction of Carteret’s highly anticipated health center, Mayor Dan Reiman and county officials announced last week.

The project, which was first announced in 2007, is now through its planning stages, according to Reiman, and with approximately $10.6 million in funding secured to date, a ground-breaking has been scheduled for April 21.

Because of overwhelming county and state support, the project has evolved beyond its initial design to incorporate “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) elements during construction and the daily operation of the facility. These include:

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Carteret Wrestling Standout

Carteret Wrestling Standout—Carteret resident Michael Pysniak Jr., who attends Bishop George Ahr High School in Edison qualified for the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships earlier this month. He won his first match 17-5, but lost to the eventual state champ, Mike Morales, in his second match. A 9-7 overtime loss in his third match ended his tournament run. Pysniak finished second in Region V with a 31-9 record. While attending Carteret Middle School, Pysniak had a 44-0 record and was a three-time Middlesex County champion. (Photo by Patrick Morgan / www.pdmphotos.com)

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Local Leaders Distribute “Quilts For A Cause” To Veterans

CARTERET—On March 2, Mayor Daniel J. Reiman joined U.S. Congressman Albio Sires, and Carteret business owner Jean Lutz, to distribute patriotic quilts to military servicemen and servicewomen being treated at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington D.C.

The program, initiated in 2008 by Country Quilt ‘n’ Threads owner Lutz, has attracted a number of area volunteers who donate their time, skill, and materials towards the creation of quilts to be given to the hospitalized military. Twenty-five of the quilts have been distributed, and the program has produced a range of unique fabrics and “blocks,” which comprise some quilts, through donations. The quilts, while varying in design, all contain patriotic themes.

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Officials Work To Clear Leaking Rail Car In Carteret

CARTERET – Earlier this morning, a Conrail tanker car sustained minor damage when the engine coupled with it during operations along the rail lines that parallel the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 12 in the vicinity of Monroe Avenue, officials said.

Carteret firefighters and the Middlesex County Hazardous Materials Team responded to a Conrail train car leak earlier this morning. (Photo courtesy of the Carteret Department of Public Information)

Members of the Carteret Fire Department were dispatched at 10:16 a.m. and found a rail car leaking isopropyl acetate, a flammable liquid. Crews from the borough fire department were able to stop the leak shortly after noon, with assistance from Middlesex Hazmat and mutual aid from Woodbridge Township, officials said.

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Mayor’s Charity Fund Rewards Creative Children With Circus Trip

CARTERET—At this month’s Borough Council meeting, Mayor Dan Reiman presented mayoral commendations and circus tickets to eight Carteret school children. These were the winners of the first “What Can I Do For My Community?” contest, established by the mayor’s Children’s Charity Trust Fund, to allow youngsters to exhibit their creative talents and demonstrate their interest in their community.

Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman poses with the winners of the “What Can I Do For My Community?” contest. (Photo courtesy of the Carteret Department of Public Information)

Sixty children participated in the contest, according to Reiman, from three public elementary schools and the Carteret Middle School. First place winners from each school received four tickets to the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Prudential Center in Newark, while second place winners received two tickets. Categories included drawing, writing, poetry, and music.

According to Reiman, the contest was created to encourage school-aged children to think about the many ways in which they can participate in the improvement of their hometown, and to showcase creative abilities that might not otherwise have a venue for exhibition;

“There’s more to improving a town than large-scale redevelopment projects and capital improvements,” the mayor said. “Anyone who respects their community can help make their town better in a variety of ways. Many of our youngsters are conscious of this, and are also very artistic. Our charity’s contest provided a great opportunity for our school kids to show off their creative abilities, and communicate their concern for their community.”

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School Board Candidates File Petitions

STATE – Candidates have filed petitions to run for seats on area school boards. Though the original deadline was Monday afternoon, Gov. Jon Corzine extended it until 4 p.m. Wednesday because a snowstorm Monday caused most school districts to shut down.

New Jersey voters will choose board members and vote on school spending plans on April 21.

Here is a breakdown of the local races:

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